Hydraulic air-compressor.



J. W. VAN BROCKLIN.

Patented Aug. I4, |900.

HYDRAULIC AIR COMPRESSOR.

(Application led Aug. 9, 1898.)

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/N VENTO/9 No..656,l47. Patented Aug. I4, |900. J. W. VAN BROCKLIN.

HYDRAULIC AIR OMPRESSOR.

(Application filed Aug. 9, 1898.) (No Model.)

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Patented Aug. I4, |900. J. W. VAN BROCKLIN. HYDRAULIC AiR COMPRESSOR.

v(Application led Aug. 9, 1898.)

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Nrrnn STAT-ns A'rnN'r union@ JOHN WV. VAN VBROCKLIN, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- SIXTEENTH TO RUSSELL L. DUNN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

HYDRAULIC AIR-CONI PRESSOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No..656,14'7, dated August 14, 1900.

Application filed August 9,1898.

To @ZZ whom, t inap/concern: Y

Be it known that LJOHNWAN BRocfKLIN, a citizen of the United States, residingat Seattle, in the county of King, State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hydraulic Air-Compressors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hydraulic air-compressing machines in which two vertical com-pression-cylinders with inlet and outlet valves. are operated by a gearwheel provided with cams which operate the valves, simultaneously closing the outlet and opening the inlet valve to one cylinder, at the same time closing the inlet-valve and opening the outlet-valve of the opposite cylinder and locking them when closed; and the objects of my improvements are, lirst, to provide a valve that presents the least resistance when opened .or closed'instantly under pressure; second, to regulate the openin g and closing of the valves at the proper time; third, to lock the valves when seated, thus preventing a rebound and avoiding leakage, and, fourth, to aerate the water as it is admitted into the compression-cylinder. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of the entire machine. Fig. 2 is atop view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing the outlet-valves, their attachment kto the sliding bars, the reciprocating gear and racks, also the lever, spring, and wedges forming the locks. Fig.` et is a top view of the outletstandard. Fig. 5 is a top view of outletvalve. Fig. 6 is'a vertical front view'of inlet-standard and attachments. Fig. 7 is a top view of same. Fig. 8 is yan end view of inlet-valve. Fig. 9 is a surface view of fixed piston of inlet-valve. Figs. 10 and ll represent detail perspective views'of the valvelocking devices, respectively, for the inlet and the outlet valves; and Fig. 12 represents a central vertical cross-section through the inlet-valves looking outward.

The frame of the machine consists of the horizontal bed-plate A, the standards B B', raised thereon at the ends thereof, a horizontal longitudinal upper plate A', fixed on the serial No. 688,171. (No man.)

upper ends of the said standards, and the legs d under'the bed-plate A for supporting the said frame. On this bed-plate are erected the supports A2 of the bearings A3 of the shaft A4 of internally-toothed wheel O, which meshes with pinion F of belt-wheel R, driven through belt R by motor Q and its belt-pulley Q.

C and C designate two vertical air-compression cylinders arrangedl at opposite sides of the machine and communicating at their' open lower ends with a pair of horizontal pipes E E', which converge at their inlet ends and are there also bent upward, receiving their supplies of liquid from a common inlet-pipe L at the opposite end ofthe machine from the motor Q. An air-inlet 'valve J is provided at the raised inlet end of each of the said pipes E just below the water-inlet valves,hereinafter described, and their valve-chest Cr.4 The upper' ends of the said air-compression cylinders are provided with air-pipes y, which are connected by a T-coupling y to each other and to the main pipe Y, whereby they supply com pressed air to the receiver. At the top of each air-compression cylinder C or C there is also an air-inlet valve J2 and a basket-rack ried into the two cylinders C and C by the rush of the water from below it is compressed by the same until the check-valve opens and is then driven through pipe y for storage in the receiver, with no risk of returning or of being mixed with the water. Each compression-cylinder is also provided with a watergage S to show when the water has reached the top of the cylinder and the air has all been forced out through pipe y. This of course serves as a guide in regulating the speed at which the machine is run, so that it may discharge at the instant the above-stated condition is attained.

The greatest width of the space between the pipes E is on the transverse line passing through the centers of compression-cylinders C C. From this they converge again in the opposite direction nearly to a common point,

each pipe E or E being provided at this end with a downward outlet E2, proximate to motor Q.

The action of the pipes E E is alternate and so is that of the compression-cylinders C C', respectively, connected to them. For effecting and regulating this alternating action I employ two inlet-valves D D and two outlet-valves D3 D4, with their aetuatin g mechanism, the former pair of valves being located in a valve-chest G, which receives the inflow from pipe L before the water passes into the pipe E, and the latter pair of valves being located over the outlet E2. Each valve D, D', D2, or D2 is cylindrical in form and reciprocating vertically to cut off the flow of water when in its lowest position and to permit such ilow when raised into its highest position. All of the said valves are operated by means of cams or lugs t t, arranged at regular intervals around the periphery of the wheel O and, as shown in Fig. 2, alternately on opposite sides of the central circumferential line ofthe said wheel, the cams or lugs on the right side of the said line being marked f and those on the leftside being marked t.

Vertical slide-bars K K are arranged side by side on the inner face of the standard Il at the inlet end of the apparatus, the bar K being provided with a lug 7;, arranged in the same plane with the peripheral cams or lugs t of the wheel, so as to be engaged thereby, and the slide-bar K having a lug 7c', similarly arranged with regard to the cams or lugs t. These slide-bars carry racks W W', facing each other and meshing with an intervening idle wheel I, so that the downward movement of one of these bars correspondingly raises the other, restoring it to its former position. Each of these slide-bars carries a rigid horizontal arm M, which is connected at its outer end to the valve-rod H of the appropriate inlet-valve D orD, this connection to prevent jar being made by sleeving the end of said arm on the said rod between springs Z) b', which are held in place by nuts n a. The arrangement, before described, of the cams or lugs t t on the periphery of the wheel O and the replacing racks and wheel I will insure the alternate opening and closing of the inlet-valves and the consequent alternate supply of water to the pipes E E. At the other end of the machine on standard B' the outletvalve-operatin g sliding bars K2 K3 are mounted, the same being likewise provided with lugs 7a2 k3,which are respectively in the planes of the cams or lugs t and 15, these slides being provided with arms M', corresponding to the arms M of slides K K aforesaid, also with racks 72 KVS, arranged like racks W XV of the inlet-valve slides and similarly meshing with an intervening idle wheel I. The connection of each arm M with the corresponding valverod H of the outlet-valve D2 or D2 is made by sleeving its outer end on the said rod between springs b2 b3, which are held in place by nuts n2 a3. All of the foregoing devices for actuating the ou tlet-valvcs merely repeat in construct-ion, arrangement, and operation the similar inlet-valvc-actuating devices already described.

The relative arrangement of the slides K K K2 K5 is such that the rotation of the wheel admits a flow of water alternately into the compression-cylinders C and C by shutting the outlet of the pipe E at the same time its water-inlet is opened and reversing this operation at the same time the inlet of the pipe E is opened and its outlet closed, this alternating procedure being repeated while the machine continues to work. Air enters each pipe E or E through the valve Jboth during the inflow of water and again while the water is discharged through the outlet of said pipe. Air also enters each cylinder C C' directly through the valves J2 at its top.

It is desirable to lock each valve temporarily after seating it, thus preventing a rebound and avoiding leakage. To effect this, I supplystandard ll with a locking-spring U, fastened thereto at the upper end and having the other end (which is free) of suiicient width to extend laterally across a part of the width of the two proximate slide-bars K and K. Each of these four bars is provided with a wedge or block P, fast en its front and having an inclined downward face tfand a horizontal upward shoulder behind which latter the said locking end of the spring snaps to fasten the valve corresponding to that slide, as stated. A lever T of the first kind, pivoted by the middle to a lug of the standard B, extends under this free end of the locking-spring, so that the depression of the other and broader end of the said spring will free the wedge or block P then in contact with it from such engagement. This liberating action will be effected by any one of the cams or lugs t or t of wheel O, the width of this end of the lever being approximately that of the periphery of the said wheel. This action takes place when the next lug or cam t or t comes in contact with the said lever. During the interval between the passage of one cam or lug and of that next in order the valve remains firmly seated, so that rebounding and leakage do not occur.

The construction of the locking devices for the outlet-valves is substantially the same, except that the block or wedge I) in each instance is formed with the inner end of the arm M fixed on that slide and that its locking-shoulder is presented downward, as is also the operative end of the lever T, While the free end of the locking-spring extends upward. The operation is the same as that before described for the inlet-valves.

l The nuts n n n2n3and the springs b 127121) are used to adjust the valves for accurate closure and to prevent all injurious jarring. Each of the outlet-valves D2 D4 is packed by an annular follower J and has substantially the construction set forth in my application, Serial No. 695,335, filed October 17, 1898. The

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inlet-valves have no packing, but each glides over a stationary piston V, depending from the top of the valve-chest by fixed rods f, as more fully disclosed in my application, Serial No. 695,334, filed October 17, 1898. I do not claim either of these forms of valve in the present application, they being the subjectmatter of the two applications above lnentioned, to which reference is made for afuller disclosure of construction and operation.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as novel and useful herein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent from the United States, is as follows:

1. In combination with two air-compression cylinders of two water-pipes connected therewith, a cylindrical inlet-valve and cylindrical outlet-valve for each of these pipes, a rod connected to each of these valves, a rotating wheel carrying cams, intervening parts arranged to be operated by the said cams and lifting the said valves and adj listing-nuts and springs for regulating this action, substantially as set forth.

2. In hydraulic air-compressors, the combination of a wheel and cams carried thereby with sliding bars K having projections engaged by the said cams, the racks W moving with said cams, the intervening cogged idler engaging the said racks to insure reciprocal motion, the vwater-inlet valve and water-outlet valve operated by the said slidesand the adj usting-nuts and springs for regulating the action of the valves,substantially as set forth.

3. The lever T, spring U and Wedge P as locking devices for a valve, in combination with the sliding bars K to which they are attached, a wheel carrying cams which are arranged for contact with the said lever as the Wheel revolves, and a valve forming part of a hydraulic air-compressing device and arranged to be locked and operated by the said parts, substantially as set forth.

4. In hydraulic air-compressors the combination of a wheel carrying cams or lugs arranged at equal intervals around its periphery and alternately on opposite sides of the central, circumferential line, with two pairs of sliding bars arranged in front and behind the said wheel and provided with lugs which are respectively in the plane of the cams on one side or the other of said central line, a pair of inlet-valves opened and closed by one pair of the said sliding bars, a pair of outletvalves opened and closed by another pair of the said sliding bars, a pair of pipes each eX- tending from one inlet-valve to the corresponding outlet-valve, a pair of air-compressing cylinders supplied by said pipes respectively, and means for admitting air to the said cylinders, substantially as set forth.

5. In hydraulic air-compressing mechanism, thecombination of a pair of inlet-valves and a pair of outlet-valves with slides which respectively actuate them and which are provided with lugs and blocks of wedge form, two stationary springs each proximate to each pair of sliding bars and having its free end of sufficient width to overlap both sliding bars of the pair and engage their blocks, reciprocating connections between the sliding bars of each pair, two levers arranged each in contact with one of the said springs for lifting the same and freeing the sliding bars and having a lever of sufficient length at its actuated end to extend across the two series of operating-cams on the Wheel, an operatingwheel, carrying cams arranged at equal distances around the periphery, alternately on opposite sides of the central, circumferential line and adapted to engage both the lugs of the sliding bars and the levers for freeing the same from the spring, and pipes and air-compression cylinders controlled by said valves, wheel and intermediate devices,substantially as set forth.

6. In combination with a pair of compression-cylinders, and pipes supplying the same, inlet and outlet valves for these pipes, a wheel carrying cams, and sliding bars operating the said inlet and outlet valves, devices for temporarily locking the said valves in their seats, and devices for transmitting reverse motion between the sliding bars of each pair, the cams of the said wheel being adapted to operate all these sliding bars by engaging lugs or projections on them and also to engage the said locking devices and free the valves, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Seattle, Washington, this 28th day of July, 1898, in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. VAN BROOKLIN.

Witnesses:

ROBERT S. ALLAN, S. C. HARRIS.

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